Oil grate and mat



April 3, 1928.

W. A. WILHELM OIL GRATE AND MAT 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Sent. 11, 1925 INVENTOR ATTORNEYS April 3, 1928.

w. A. WILHELM OIL GRATE AND MAT Filed Sent. 11, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 7.

ATTORNEYS Patented Apr. 3,. 1928.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILSON A. WILHELM, or VERNON, TEXAS.

OIL GRA'IE AND MAT.

Application filed September 11, 1925.

compared with the oil channels of the grates of other hydraulic oil presses of which I am aware, and a further aim is to provide simple means whereby the openings for supplying the oil to said oil channels may be increased in cross sectional area and substantially shortened, all of which increases the efiiciency of the invention.

A further and equally important object of the invention is to provide a combined oil grate and mat in which the oil channels may be easily cleaned at any time without removing the mat or any of the other parts of the press.

A further object of the'invention is to provide a combined oil mat and grate which will displace the separate mat and grate employed in hydraulic oil presses and which may be applied to standard oil presses without substantial alteration of the same.

Another object is to provide a combined oil grate and mat which by reason of the consolidation of the grate and mat will overcome the need of employing rivets and screws which ordinarily pass through the mat and through the grate and often loosen and back out, thereby causing destruction of the .press'cloths and interfering with the rapid placing of cake into box or removing the same from box by the cake pan striking said rivets or screws.

A further and equally important object is to provide a combined oil grate and mat which consists principally of a plurality of interlocked parallel bars which by reason of their peculiar interlocking connection will possess sufficient yieldability with no loss of strength and will avoid possible shearing action.

In the accompanying drawing forming a part of this application and in which like numerals are employed to designate like parts throughout the same,

Figure 1 is a perspective of the combined oil grate and mat in place.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary plan view at the same Serial No. 55,885.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary side elevation of the improved oil grate and mat and the holding strap for the same.

Figure 4 is a detail elevation illustrating one end portion of the combined grate and mat.

Figure 5 is a fragmentary perspective illustrating one of the bars of the improved grate and mat.

Figure 6 is a fragmentary side elevation of the improved combined oil grate and mat. Figure 7 is a fragmentary plan view of one of the bars of the improved combined grate and mat.

Figure 8 is a fragmentary plan View of a slight modification of the invention.

Figure 9 is a fragmentary side elevation of the form of combined mat and grate illustrated in Figure 8.

Figure 10 is a fragmentary perspective of 'the form of bar shown in Figures 8 and 9.

Figure 11 is a fragmentary plan view of the form of bar illustrated in Figures 8, 9 and 10.

Figure 12 is a fragmentary side elevation of the form of bar shown in F igures 8, 9, 10 and 11.

y In the drawing wherein for the purpose of illustration is shown a preferred embodiment of the invention, the numeral 5 designates one of the body plates of an oil press, which body plate is attached to the press in the usual and well known manner. As is known the body plate ordinarily supports a grate and a mat is mounted upon the grate. However, in accordance with this invention the grate is combined with the mat and the unitary structure thus produced is bolted by cap screws or other fastening devices 6 to the body plate.

Referring first to the form of the invention illustrated in Figures 1, 2, 3, 4t. 5 and 6 it will-be seen that the combined grate and mat consist of a plurality of more or less similarly formed movably connected bars 7. Figures 5 and 6 illustrate that one side of each bar 7 is provided with a 1011- gitudinal rib 8 adapted to be received in a longitudinal groove 9 of an adjacent bar,

whereby all of the bars are interlocked, this construction providing a sufficiently yieldable arrangement to avoid destruction of the combined grate and mat to avoid breaking as a resultof excessive pressure. Figure 6 illustrates that the bars are provided with a plurality of aligned openings for the reception of suitably stout rivets or other fastening devices 13, by means of which all of the bars are securely joined to provide a unitary and sufliciently rigid structure-with out interfering withthe yielding or rocking movement of the bars relatively to each Theoilchannels 1L openout through the ends of-the combined grateandunat and provide a simple and reliable means for collecting theoil which is supplied. to the, openings 12 and, forconducting thisoil through one end of the grate. The channels lla re arranged in, opposedgrelation, as, are the substantially ve seal. grooyes fie" (hen the channel's be} comeclogg hit isa simple matterto clean theflsame with metal swab or with. a steam or airline. This may be accomplished without ,di smantlingthe machine or.without..detaching any the. parts thereof.

Attentionis directed to the fact that-the bars are provided with transverse channels 16 having" restricted branchesor months 17 which open out through the top of thebars andreceive a portion of the oil pressed from the material. grooves or... channels 16; which open out throughthe opposite sides of the combined grate and mat provide a transverse while the longitudinal grooves or channels 11 provide longitudinal drainage. It is thus seen that the improved combined grate and mat isprovided with simple means whereby longitudinal as well as transverse drainage for-the. oil is; provided, As the slot 17 extends entirely across the surface of the structartan adequateinlet is provided for the oil and the maximum quantity of oil is therefore recovered.

In carrying out the invention the ends of the, bar are formedwith"transve rse grooves 20 for the reception of the angle plate 21, the angle plateonstrap fll being securely held in place by c ap screws. or other fasteningdevices The cap'screws mayenter holes vacatedby the. former clip screws o'r'new holes drilled for the purpose The shape of the holdingdown strap 21 is such that the oil channels are t. in no' way ob structeid. Hencefree drainage ofoil and easeof .cleaningthe channel isprovided.

Attention is directed to Figure 4 which shows that the grooyes 12 (of Fig. 2)' which eittend through the head of the ,bar to the channelslll tapered and therefore somewhat increased. in. diameterrin cross secs arms toward the lower end thereof to provide for the free passageofthe oil from illiibilbearing substance to the longitudinal and transversechannels. p t Q In the form .ofinvention' illustrated in 10f course the transverse drainage rivets or other suitablefastening devices The transverse grooves 36in the ends of the combined grate and mat are adapted to. rece ve the lnneredjge. portion of holding straps 37, which holdin straps are .Lsecurely held in place by screws 3801' similar fasten ing devices. I

Figure 10 wellillustigates that each bar 31 P ViQQ inihe. oppos id fac s er of withjgroovesorchannels 4.0 which communieate with adjacent channelssince allthe channelsjare in opposed relationas clearly shown in the drawin Fi ure 10 and Fi i b D l b um 12 illustrate that the oil which is pressed from the oil bearing substanceflows fromthe face grooves. 4-1. HHClKIltO thechannels 40. lVhen the oil enters the channels loll; is conductedto one end of the comhined grate and 'mat;

and is collected as is obvious;

l' i lth reference tothe foregoing description talren in connection with the accon i panying drawings, itwillhe seen-that a combined" grate and mat constructed in accord ance with either form-of the invention is provided with ainpledrainage to conduct the oil from the .oilibearing surfaceto a pointof collection in a highly expeditious manner and without the possihility of breakage as a result of the great pressure employed.

Particular attention is directed to the fact that the openings or' grooves 11 and 41 are substantially shorter and are greaterin cross sectionaharea than the grooves-heretofore employedin mats and they therefore provide for the more 'rapiddrainage of the oil and are not so easilycloggedw l Attention. is also'invitedto the fact that no rivets or screws pass throngh the mat into the grate. In-thisbonnection it might be stated; that such rivets or screws in theconventionalmat tend to loosen-and==hack out causing destruction to pressclothsand inter fering with. rapid placing of material into box or TQH-lOVlHg SELIHG;fPOIllbOX lIY' the cake pans cleaningand cake removing tools striking the loose rivets or screws. Thisdnvem tiondoes notemploy ainat plate and consequently no screws-or -rivets-;extend through such plate tothe-gra-te.

Since the struetureis made up of a numher ofparallel barshavingthe tongue and groove connection-illustrated all of' -the bars are properly matched yand the desired- 'construction and stability is obtained w-ithno of the structure through vertical loss of strength and no possible shearing action of the bars is permitted.

With reference to the foregoing description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, it will be seen that the invention combines all of the advantages of a separate grate and mat and has appreciable advantages resulting from such combination.

Slots 12 of Figure 2 may be cut the full length of bar, i. e. one continuous slot, so that when placed beside other similar bars form complete longitudinal drainage into channels.

The face of mat would'then have a complete cross checked drainage as shown in Figure 1.

The conventional corrugations may be cut on face of mat to suit users. These corrugations may be on center lines of slots, longitudinal and transverse, or midway between them.

I claim:

1. An oil grate and mat combined in a unitary structure and comprising a plurality of interlocked movably connected parallel bars arranged with their sides contacting, means extending transversely through said bars to hold them assembled, each bar being provided in each side wall near its upper surface with a longitudinal groove, the grooves of adjacent bars registering when assembled to form oil receiving or collecting channels opening through the ends of the structure whereby the collected oil may be conducted to a suitable place ofdeposit, a plurality of longitudinally spaced vertical passages leading from said channels through the upper face of the bars to provide oil feeds for the channels, said bars also having transverse channels arranged in a plane above the longitudinal channels and provided with restricted slot-like mouths opening through the tops of the bars to provide a transverse drainage for the structure.

2. An oil grate and mat combined in a unitary structure and comprising a plurality of interlocked movably connected parallel bars arranged with their sides contacting, each bar having near its bottom portion a longitudinally extending rib on one side face and a longitudinal groove on its other side face, the groove of'one bar being designed to receive the rib of an adjacent bar whereby all of the bars are interlocked and movably connected to avoid breakage resulting from excessive pressure, means extending transversely through said bars to hold them assembled and provide a unitary structure, channels extending longitudinally and transversely of said structure, the longitudinal channel being arranged in a plane below the transverse channel and each set of channels having mouths leading through the tops of the bars to form feed openings for the respective channels whereby transverse and longitudinal drainage for the structure is provided.

WILSON A. WILHELM. 

